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March 1: National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day 

Read Peanut Butter & Cupcake (Border, 2014) and Peanut Butter and Jelly: A Play Rhyme (Westcott, 1987).  

Try something new – African Squash and Peanut Stew! Recipe linked in this issue. 

Alicia in Sparta 

Skyla in Oshkosh 

Levon in Milwaukee 

Tiffany in Milwaukee 

Kayla in Milwaukee 

Sylvia in Milwaukee 

Megan in Arbor Vitae 

We celebrate this mark of professionalism! Welcome! 

5 years – Lisa Myles 

10 years – Brenda Mattson  

15 years –Carmen Hernandez  

20 years – Nancy Kanter

30 years – Peri Gorges,  Roxanne Koller 

We applaud your long commitment to serving nutritious meals and snacks to the children in your care! 

CACFP Week is a national education and information campaign sponsored annually by the National CACFP Sponsors Association designed to raise awareness of how the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program works to combat hunger. Download a flyer to advertise National CACFP Week here. 

 How will YOU celebrate? 

Question: Can I pack and send a bag lunch with my school-aged child care children?

Answer: You CAN pack and send a lunch. But implied in your question is whether you can claim and be paid for a prepared meal or snack eaten offsite. The answer to that is NO:  

“Children must be seated together at the serving table with other enrolled children during the meal service. If children are in another room away from the other children eating, they are not present and participating in the meal, and therefore must not be claimed for reimbursement.” 

Note: “This requirement does not apply to infants because they eat “on demand” and may eat different components of a “meal” at different times.” 

Source: https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/community-nutrition/pdf/gm_l_fdch.pdf 

Your Area Coordinator provided a printout during the Trimester 3 visit for your convenience in adding the current non-discrimination statement to your marketing or child care information. Be sure to place a copy of your updated policy book, your website information (such as the URL or a screen shot) or any other child care documents in your binder for review by your Area Coordinator during the next home visit to ensure they have the most current verbiage. 

Providers must include the current Non-discrimination Statement when CACFP participation is referenced. This is a federal regulation. Find it here. 

Updating your child care marketing materials? Always use the current non-discrimination statement!  

Download the Good Food for All Recipe Booklet here. Find the recipe on page 1 (English), page 2 (Spanish). 

If there are any changes to your child care certification or license, such as type of regulation, address, name change, capacity, age range of children in care, hours of operation and/or days of operation, you MUST submit a copy of your new cert or license to foodprogram@wisconsinearlychildhood.org or fax it to 866-222-9520. Make sure the current version is posted on your wall.

A Special Diet Form is required whenever a child in your care can’t be fed according to CACFP guidelines.  

This may be due to a disability – including, but not limited to, food allergies or lactose intolerance.  

USDA defines a medical disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, including eating, breathing and digestive functions.  

A medical professional who is licensed to write prescriptions must complete and sign a Special Diet Form for a disability. In Wisconsin, this would be a Physician, Physician’s Assistant, Nurse Practitioner (APNP), Dentist, Optometrist, and Podiatrist only.  

This may be due to preference – such as religious, ethnic or lifestyle reasons.  

 When a parent requests an alternate milk due to preference, consult the Creditable Non-Dairy Beverages (Milk Substitutions) for beverages that are nutritionally equivalent to cow’s milk: 

Creditable Non-Dairy Beverages (Milk Substitutions) | Bebidas no lácteas bonificables (sustitución de la leche) 

YOU MUST REPORT EVERY SPECIAL DIET required for a child, whether it’s due to a disability or preference. It does not matter whether the meals are reimbursable or not. 

• Work with parents/guardians to obtain the required documentation so appropriate and safe meals can be served to the child. 
• Record information on both the Special Diet and Special Dietary Needs Tracking Form. BOTH forms are required and must be completed, submitted to the WECA Food Program office and approved by the Food Program before you can be reimbursed. 

Find the Special Diet and Special Dietary Needs Tracking Form here: 

• Special Diet Form 
• Formulario de Dieta Especial 
• Special Dietary Needs Tracking Form | Formulario de seguimiento de las necesidades dietéticas especiales de CACFP 

Remember: NOT EVERY SPECIAL DIET CAN BE REIMBURSED. 

Pre-plated meals/snacks: The minimum serving size of each component, as listed on the CACFP meal pattern for the participant’s age, is served to participants on their plate and in their cup.  

Family Style Dining: Foods and beverages should be provided in age-appropriate serving dishes and small pitchers and placed on each table. Participants serve themselves from common dishes of food and small pitchers with the assistance of supervising adults, as needed. 

The amounts of food in the serving dishes must be enough to provide the minimum required CACFP serving sizes for each participant seated at the table.  

NOTE: When a complete family style meal service is not practical, providers may offer one or more components using the family style method and serve other components by the pre-plated style. 

• All required meal components must be served together at the same time during a meal or snack: A food or beverage cannot be withheld until the end of the meal.  
• Children should be encouraged to try different foods but cannot be forced to try all foods or to finish one food prior to receiving additional servings of other foods.  

https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/community-nutrition/pdf/gm_l_fdch.pdf 

Has your household grown larger? Has your household income decreased? Do you now receive a qualifying service such as FoodShare? If so, you may qualify to receive the higher, Tier 1 rates. You also may qualify to claim the residential children living in your home, if applicable. Applications and federal income guidelines are found here under Financial: 

https://wisconsinearlychildhood.org/programs/food-program/food-program-forms-resources/ 

Wisconsin Early Childhood Association announces the return of Career Development Counseling! This completely free, one-on-one service is available for English and Spanish speakers to help you navigate your career journey in early care and education. 

Visit the website to learn more: https://wisconsinearlychildhood.org/career-development-counseling/ 

Mark your calendars now for this year’s Week of the Young Child celebration! The event, sponsored by National Association for the Education of Young Children, seeks to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and the early childhood educators, programs, and services that play such a critical role in child development. This year’s celebration is April 1-7, and WECA is planning to provide several exciting opportunities, activities, and events to highlight and celebrate early learning. 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider

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